Doha – Mubasher: Occupancy rates at five major hotels in Doha were estimated at around 57% in the first day of Eid Al Fitr, a Reuters survey showed Tuesday.
The hotel occupancy rate drop comes after some Gulf and Arab states decided on 5 June to break their diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.
Visitors from the GCC represent more than half of the total number of visitors to Doha, the agency said.
Qatar-based, Hamad International Airport is expected to see a sharp decline in the number of passengers, aviation analyst Will Horton told Reuters, indicating that the airport, which is considered one of the busiest in the Middle East, may lose about 27,000 passengers on a daily basis in July if the rift persists.
“Doha in early July, assuming the restrictions remain, will have less capacity than a year ago - a confronting figure for a region where every month sets year-on-year records,” Horton added.
Qatar must find new ways to enhance its economy due to the negative impact of the boycott on the tourism sector including hotels and restaurants, senior director at Dubai’s TRI Consulting Rashid Aboobacker told Reuters.
As for its preparations for the World Cup 2022, Qatar said that the boycott had not affected preparations, noting that it secured alternative resources for building materials and that it was on schedule to deliver 46,000 rooms by 2022.
Earlier this year, Qatar’s tourism authority reported completing 119 hotels, comprising 23,347 rooms as part of preparations for the World Cup 2022.
